Schools rugby groupings in the grave

Sports analysts are baffled by the way teams have been seeded in the two groups contesting the current schools A division league rugby championship.

There are six teams in one group and seven teams in the other group. The top four teams in each group move into the second round to contest the Cup championship while the rest of the teams that don’t qualify play for a downgraded trophy called the Plate.

In one group known as Segment 1A, five top teams, Royal, Isipathana, St. Peter’s, St. Joseph’s and St. Anthony’s are made to battle for the four final round slots while in the other group known as Segment 1B it is a different story.

In the Segment 1B group only two teams can be classified as top sides in Trinity and S. Thomas’ while the rest this season are nowhere near the class of the fancied two schools. They are Wesley, Zahira, Prince of Wales and Science College.

According to analysts, it will be a shame if two schools like St. Joseph’s and St. Anthony’s who possess some brilliant players this season are made to sadistically struggle for a place in the second round while in the other group two un-fancied schools with very little potential can qualify and move into the second round.

Organisers of the league, the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) are also hard-pressed to provide a comprehensive public answer to having one group with seven teams and the other with six teams.

The lop-sidedness happened after DS Senanayake College took the SLSRFA to court citing the presence of Prince of Wales which qualified to play in the top division this year because one school CWW Kannangara fielded an illegitimate player and won their match against Prince of Wales last year in the second division tournament.

Kannangara was stripped of their match points and Prince of Wales was absorbed into the top Division this year which infuriated DS Senanayake who also claimed that they too should be playing in the top Division after having a better record in last year’s second Division tournament.

To settle the matter and balance the two groups, the SLSRFA brought in DS Senannayake along with Kingswood College. But Kingswood declined the offer saying they preferred to remain in this year’s second Division tournament and hence the reason for one group having seven teams.